According to data released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, the State's unemployment rate rose from 4.3 percent in March to 22.7 percent in April. Employment in Michigan plunged by 1.1 million, while the number of unemployed grew by 839,000, resulting in a labor force drop of 291,000 over the month.

Jason Palmer, Director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, says the large monthly unemployment rate advance reflected a continuing and deepening of the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the workforce. Most COVID-19 related layoffs began in the second half of March and continued through April.

The national unemployment rate grew significantly by 10.3 percentage points in April to 14.7 percent.

Palmer says job losses were widespread across all industry sectors, with especially large employment reductions in Leisure and Hospitality, and Manufacturing.